Show EIGHTEEN SLAIN BY HEAVY FIRE OF HIDDEN MEN Scottish Detachment Composed Composed Com Corn posed of Former Service Servicemen men Attacked During Trouble in South Africa COAL OPERATORS WILL NOT CONFER Southern Ohio Employers Decline Invitation of Secretary Secretary Sec Sec-I Sec Sec- of Labor to Discuss Dis- Dis Discuss Discuss Dis DisI I cuss Wage Scale JOHANNESBURG ESBURG March 11 Bythe Bythe By Bythe the Associated Press Press PressA A A Scottish detachment was ambushed at Benoni today by strikers ers hidden In a plantation plantation plantation planta planta- tion who suddenly poured a hea heavy y fire Into the soldiers killing eighteen of them and wounding twenty five Most ost of or the detachment were ex- ex service men The Rand Dally Daily Mall Mail places Fridays Friday's casualties at of whom eighty are believed to have been killed The casualties among the strikers are not known The situation is regarded as somewhat somewhat some some- what Improved today 1 1 1 oal oai operators Decline to Meet COLUMBUS IBUS Ohio March rach 11 11 Southern Ohio coal operators today declined the request of Secretary of Labor Davis to meet with miners in Joint conference to arrange a wage scale for the central competitive field The operators of southern Ohio cannot participate In such a conference conference confer confer- ence a reply to Secretary Davis Davis' letter letter letter let let- ter requesting the meeting said but Taut they will meet theet with the representatives tives of the mine workers of ot this district at any time to discuss a a wage scale and working conditions that are fair air to the miners and op operators op- op of southern Ohio with the thc understanding that such a conference would not discuss the check The letter declares that the present demands of ot the miners have been re rejected rejected rejected re- re re- re by every Interstate conference In the last three years and that the United Mine Workers of America have violated every agreement made by them since 1916 DUE TO OPERATORS The threatened suspension of bituminous bituminous bituminous bitu bitu- minous coal mining resulted from ac action action notion no- no tion by the southern Ohio operators In first refusing to Join In a central states wage conference that was to have been held at Pittsburg In January January Janu Janu- ary and In a later conference Scheduled scheduled scheduled sched sched- for Cleveland early this month I Other districts followed the action of I the southern Ohio opens and the I conferences which were asked for tor by i President John L. L Lewis of the United United Unit Unit- ed Mine Workers were call called d off oft Following their failures failure to obtain a a Joint wage conference the United Mine Workers announced that unless a n new central competitive field wage scale was formulated by April 1 the miners would suspend work at that time COMPLETE Such a suspension would completely tie up the bituminous coal pines of Ohio western Pennsylvania Indiana and Illinois the largest soft coal producing districts In the country Approximately miners would be bo affected ted A vote n nOw w being taken by the United Mine Workers In these districts Is reported to be almost ten to one In favor of suspension of work April 1 If a new agreement is is not reached by that time Walter WaIter O. O McKinney secretary of the Southern Ohio Coal exchange In his letter to Secretary Davis toda today s id that the economic and competitive competitive competitive tive conditions In southern Ohio are In no way identical with the other districts with which the southern Ohio operators are asked to participate participator pate pate pator and neither the miners nor operators of southern Ohio could Justify justify Jus jus- any agreement that may be ar arrIved arrived arrived ar- ar rived at In such a Joint joint- Interstate meeting I Gompers to Address I Textile Workers v WASHINGTON ASHINGTON March Mach 11 Samuel Samuel Gompers president of the American Federation of Labor left Washington today for the New England textile centers where he will make a series of addresses before strikers' strikers mass meetings He will speak at ot Providence Providence Provi- Provi dence I and Manchester N. N H JI 1 tom tomOrrow tomor- tomor II row and will wiIl follow out afterward r I I an Itinerary arranged for him by the United Textile Workers the union whose members have havo left the tho mills |